What Heliguy does

Heliguy, trading name of Colena Ltd, is a Newcastle-based drone services company founded circa 2008 that operates an integrated platform combining DJI hardware retail, UK CAA-approved and Ofqual-regulated training, in-house repairs, drone rental, survey/consultancy services, and regulatory support for complex BVLOS operations. Its portfolio spans consumer-grade drones (DJI Mini 5 Pro, Mavic 4 Pro) through enterprise platforms (DJI Matrice 4 series, DJI Dock 3 drone-in-a-box, DJI FlyCart 30 delivery drone) and third-party sensors (XGRIDS LiDAR, Emlid GNSS), with Repair Refresh crash-cover and DroneDeploy integration adding recurring software/data layers. The company is the UK's only DJI Gold and S-Level Partner and holds UK CAA Recognised Assessment Entity (RAE) status with BVLOS Operational Authorisation UAS 15435, enabling it to deliver managed drone-in-a-box programmes for clients such as Shell Pernis, Network Rail, National Grid, and SSEN Transmission.

Revenue is generated through five streams: hardware sales via the heliguy.com e-commerce store and direct enterprise sales (one-time perpetual purchases ranging from £519 consumer units to £19,572 delivery drones), training and certification courses (£149.50 A2 CofC to £1,499 Ofqual Level 5 award, plus 9,000+ candidates trained), professional drone consultancy and end-to-end survey support (Survey Assist), in-house DJI-accredited repairs (tiered £99-£499), and rental of the UK's largest drone fleet. The go-to-market is sales-led with dedicated account managers serving enterprise accounts (Network Rail, National Grid, Balfour Beatty VINCI, London Fire Brigade) alongside a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel.

Heliguy's competitive positioning rests on regulatory authorisation, exclusive DJI partnership status, and a vertically integrated lifecycle offering. Strategic deployments include a Newcastle command centre managing remotely operated BVLOS drone flights, drone-in-a-box systems at Shell Pernis refinery executing 1,000+ automated monthly flights over 30km of infrastructure, and recent wins in rail (Network Rail), utilities (SSEN, National Grid), construction (HOCHTIEF), and media (Visualskies/Paddington in Peru). Backed by ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials, FCA authorisation, and Ofqual-regulated training credentials, the company serves both enterprise verticals (utilities, rail, oil & gas, construction, emergency services) and a long tail of SMB/individual drone operators.

Name

Heliguy

Legal name

Colena Ltd

Website

https://heliguy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heliguy is a UK-based, CAA-authorised drone services company integrating DJI hardware retail, training, in-house repairs, rental, and BVLOS consultancy to serve enterprise clients in rail, utilities, oil & gas, and construction, alongside SMB drone operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Drone Services

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (488190), Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (811210)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Drones & UAV Retail (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRACAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO), UAS Ground Control Stations (GCS) & Remote Operations Infrastructure (IMABAIAL)

Keywords

• Commercial drone services
• Drone pilot training
• Drone equipment retail
• BVLOS operations consulting
• Drone repair centre

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Drone and Equipment Sales: Sale of DJI drones, accessories, and related equipment through e-commerce platform and direct sales.
2. Training and Certification: CAA-approved courses including A2 CofC (£149.50), GVC (£699.50), combined courses, renewals, and Ofqual-regulated qualifications. 9,000+ candidates trained.
3. Drone Consultancy: Building drone programmes from proof of concept and workflow integration to regulatory support and enduring assistance.
4. Repair Services: In-house repair centre with tiered pricing (Small £159/£99 discounted, Medium £299/£149, Heavy-lift £499/£249) plus £39 assessment fee waived if proceeding.
5. Drone Rental: Access to UK's largest drone rental fleet for dynamic scaling and one-off jobs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heliguy is a UK-based DJI drone solutions provider operating an integrated platform that combines drone retail (DJI enterprise and consumer hardware plus accessories), CAA-approved and Ofqual-regulated pilot training, in-house DJI-accredited repair, drone rental, end-to-end survey assist, and UK SORA/BVLOS regulatory consultancy. The company sells equipment through its own e-commerce store and delivers consultancy and managed BVLOS operations to enterprise clients such as Network Rail, Shell, National Grid, HOCHTIEF, and SSEN Transmission.

Product overview

Heliguy is a UK-based drone services company operating as a unified platform combining drone retail (DJI products and third-party accessories), drone training (CAA-approved and Ofqual-regulated courses), survey and consultancy services, rental, in-house repairs, and regulatory support. The portfolio is anchored by DJI enterprise drones (Matrice 4 Series, Dock 3, FlyCart 30, Mavic series) and third-party sensors/scanners (XGRIDS reality capture, Emlid GNSS). Services are delivered through a layered model: a drone shop sells equipment alongside rental and Repair Refresh coverage; heliguy Survey Assist provides end-to-end survey support using drones, LiDAR, photogrammetry, and GNSS; drone training (A2 CofC, GVC, Ofqual Level 4 and 5 awards) is offered online and in-person; UK SORA and BVLOS consultancy enables complex automated operations; and an in-house DJI-accredited repair centre handles over 6,500 repairs. The consultancy and training divisions serve as the primary revenue and relationship drivers for the hardware sales channel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drone Consultancy Advisory service that helps organisations design, build, and scale drone programmes from proof of concept and workflow integration through regulatory support and ongoing assistance. Targeted at enterprise clients across utilities, rail, oil and gas, construction, and emergency services.
• Drone Training CAA-approved and Ofqual-regulated pilot training programmes covering A2 CofC, GVC, Ofqual Level 4 and Level 5 awards, combined courses, renewals, survey-specific training, emergency services training, and CPD. Delivered online and instructor-led; Heliguy has trained over 9,000 candidates for clients including Network Rail, National Grid, Balfour Beatty VINCI, and London Fire Brigade.
• Drone Rental Access to the UK's largest drone rental fleet for dynamic scaling and one-off jobs, enabling users to deploy the latest drone technology without long-term hardware commitment.
• Survey Assist End-to-end survey support combining consultancy, survey-specific training, on-site data collection, software support, and data processing. Includes drones, LiDAR and photogrammetry payloads, GNSS equipment, and software such as DroneDeploy integration.
• Repairs & Crash Support In-house DJI-accredited repair centre offering fast-track repair, phone support, fault diagnosis, warranty repairs, drone servicing, and direct manufacturer access. Over 6,500 repairs completed; tiered pricing (Small £159, Medium £299, Heavy-lift £499) with discounted rates for Heliguy-supplied equipment.
• UK SORA & BVLOS Operations Regulatory consultancy preparing UK SORA applications to expand operational envelopes and develop BVLOS pathways, enabling clients to conduct beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone missions. Supported by Heliguy's CAA Recognised Assessment Entity status and BVLOS Operational Authorisation UAS 15435.
• Remote Monitoring Remote monitoring solutions using drone technology for surveillance and security applications, including BVLOS operations managed from Heliguy's Newcastle command centre for clients such as Network Rail.
• Drone Defence Counter-drone solutions designed to protect airspace and infrastructure from unauthorised drone activity.
• A2 CofC Drone Training Course UK CAA qualification for operating drones in the Open Category, suitable for aspiring recreational and commercial pilots. Completed online; priced at £149.50 with five-year validity.
• GVC Drone Training Course UK CAA qualification for operating drones in the Specific Category with an Operational Authorisation, including practical flight assessment. Priced at £699.50 with five-year validity and a £500 CAA fee for PDRA-01 Operational Authorisation.
• Combined A2 CofC & GVC Drone Training Course Combined CAA qualification course designed for operators flying across Open and Specific categories and for organisations scaling drone programmes. Priced at £749.50, more cost-effective than sitting the courses separately.
• Ofqual Level 5 Award for UAS Operations Managers Ofqual-regulated, TQUK-accredited training course tailored for UAS Operations Managers responsible for leading drone programmes and UAS teams. Priced at £1,499 on a subscription model.
• Ofqual Level 4 Award for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ofqual-regulated version of the GVC demonstrating enhanced understanding and operational competence. TQUK accredited; priced at £1,249.
• Emergency Services Drone Operators Training (ES-DOT) Dedicated GVC training programme for emergency services with on-site, instructor-led training tailored for public safety personnel.
• Drone Maintenance Training Course Training on conducting essential maintenance on DJI aircraft including component replacement, fault identification, and firmware updates. Priced at £249.
• Repair Refresh Crash cover and repair refresh programme providing discounted service rates for equipment supplied by Heliguy, complementing the in-house DJI-accredited repair centre.
• DJI Mavic 4 Pro Creator Combo (RC Pro 2) Advanced triple-camera DJI drone bundled with the RC Pro 2 controller and premium accessories for professional aerial content creation. Priced at £3,209.00.
• DJI Matrice 4E DJI drone with AI capabilities engineered for precision surveying and engineering, featuring a wide-angle camera with mechanical shutter, two zoom cameras, and a laser rangefinder. Priced at £3,940.00.
• DJI Matrice 4T DJI drone with built-in AI and a six-sensor payload including wide-angle camera, two zoom cameras, thermal sensor, laser rangefinder, and NIR auxiliary light. Designed for public safety and inspection. Priced at £5,910.00.
• DJI Dock 3 with DJI Matrice 4TD Drone-in-a-box system enabling remote and automated drone missions. The DJI M4TD offers a thermal solution and the dock is optimised for vehicle-mounted deployments. Priced at £16,795.00.
• DJI Dock 3 with Matrice 4D Drone-in-a-box system with the DJI M4D for automated surveys, deployable from a vehicle. Priced at £15,015.00.
• DJI FlyCart 30 DJI delivery drone with large payload capacity and long-range operation capability designed for overcoming traditional transport constraints. Priced at £19,572.00.
• DJI Matrice 350 RTK (Battery & Charge Station Combo) Flagship DJI commercial drone with TB65 batteries and BS65 battery station combo. Priced at £10,959.00.
• DJI M400 (Battery and Charge Station Combo) Powerful DJI commercial drone with TB100 battery and BS100 Intelligent Battery Charging Station. Priced at £10,650.00.
• DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo (RC 2) Enhanced DJI drone with DJI RC 2 smart controller, three flight batteries, charging hub, ND filter set, and bag. Priced at £1,439.00.
• DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo (RC2) DJI drone with 1-inch CMOS camera, 4K HDR, ActiveTrack 360°, and night obstacle sensing. Priced at £979.00.
• DJI Flip Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2) 249g foldable DJI drone with 4K/60fps HDR and AI tracking, bundled with RC 2 controller and accessories. Priced at £519.00.
• XGRIDS Reality Capture Solutions Reality capture solutions including PortalCam, L2 Pro, and K1 handheld 3D laser scanners used for real estate workflows, providing high-quality visuals, spatial data, and digital models for property marketing, measurements, and documentation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 BVLOS drone flights per month conducted at Shell Pernis refinery
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Network RailcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Partnership with Network Rail to deploy remotely operated drones across Western and Anglia rail routes. Heliguy obtained UK CAA approval for BVLOS operations managed from their command centre in Newcastle.
• Skyports Drone ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 27 March 2026Skyports Drone Services deployed DJI Dock 2 drone-in-a-box system for HOCHTIEF bridge project. Remotely operated from Skyports' Remote Operations Centre in Madrid.
• HOCHTIEFminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 27 March 2026Construction giant using automated BVLOS drone surveying for Rheinbrücke Leverkusen bridge project in Germany through Skyports and heliguy deployment.
• Aureos Energy LtdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 March 2026Aureos Energy deployed DJI FlyCart 30 heavy-lift drone for 132kV overhead line installation project commissioned by SSEN Transmission.
• National GridcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025National Grid collaborated with heliguy on testing the DJI Zenmuse L3 drone sensor for infrastructure inspection in the energy sector, demonstrating capabilities through real-world testing.
• VisualskiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 June 2025Drone partner for Paddington in Peru film production. Visualskies deployed DJI M300 RTK drones for photogrammetry and LiDAR scanning at Machu Picchu, with heliguy providing consultancy, equipment supply, and logistics assistance.
• VortexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Shell Pernis refinery drone-in-a-box deployment. Vortex, along with heliguy and Skeye, supported supply, maintenance, and drone operations for the large-scale automated BVLOS drone programme.
• SkeyecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkeye Netherlands conducted over 1,000 remote DJI Dock flights monthly at Shell Pernis using eight permanently deployed docking systems. Partner in the drone-in-a-box programme with heliguy and Vortex, responsible for drone operations.
• ShellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShell Pernis implemented large-scale automated BVLOS drone-in-a-box operations at Rotterdam Harbour refineries. The programme powered by heliguy, Vortex, and Skeye partnership has transformed routine inspections with RGB, thermal, and emissions data collection.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Parrot: European drone manufacturer offering enterprise and prosumer UAVs (e.g., ANAFI series). Comparable as a broader incumbent with overlapping prosumer/enterprise drone product lines relevant to Heliguy's addressable market.
• DJI: Global drone manufacturer whose enterprise product lines (Matrice, Dock, FlyCart, Mavic) Heliguy resells, trains against, and repairs. Heliguy is the UK's only DJI Gold and S-Level Partner; DJI is the strategic supplier that defines Heliguy's product roadmap.

Direct peers

• Coptrz: UK-based drone retailer, training provider and consultancy offering DJI enterprise drones, CAA-approved courses and bespoke drone programmes. Closely comparable to Heliguy across retail, training, and enterprise services.
• Drone Major: UK-based drone marketplace, training and consultancy platform offering enterprise drone programmes and regulatory support. Directly comparable to Heliguy's consultancy and training-led go-to-market.
• Skeye: Dutch drone operator running large-scale automated BVLOS deployments at Shell Pernis alongside Heliguy and Vortex. Comparable as a drone operations and inspection services peer targeting similar enterprise and energy customers.
• Cyberhawk: UK-based drone inspection services provider for oil & gas, utilities and infrastructure. Overlaps directly with Heliguy's enterprise inspection use cases and Shell/National Grid-style customer base.
• Vortex UAS: UK/European drone services and equipment provider partnering with Heliguy on the Shell Pernis drone-in-a-box programme. Comparable across enterprise drone operations, equipment supply, and integrated inspection services.

Emerging players

• DroneAG: UK drone services and software provider focused on agriculture and infrastructure surveying using DJI platforms. Comparable in DJI-centric service delivery and UK enterprise customer focus, though with a narrower vertical emphasis.
• Skyports Drone Services: Operator of drone services including BVLOS infrastructure inspection and drone-in-a-box deployments (e.g., the HOCHTIEF Leverkusen bridge project alongside Heliguy). Comparable as a drone services operator expanding into automated enterprise missions.

Others

• DroneDeploy: Drone data platform used to process automated BVLOS survey data (e.g., HOCHTIEF Leverkusen bridge via Heliguy's deployment). Comparable as a software layer adjacent to Heliguy's enterprise survey workflows and reality-capture offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heliguydotcom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heliguy
• Facebookfacebook.com/heliguydotcom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heliguy